


The Ex

by Joe_Reaves



Series: The Wedding [4]
Category: Empire Records (1995)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-11
Updated: 2010-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-08 21:06:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/79513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joe_Reaves/pseuds/Joe_Reaves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He could have done so much better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ex

Jane sat in the bar, overlooking the ocean, nursing her drink. Of all the people to bump into on her holiday, why did it have to be them? This was supposed to be a nice, relaxing interlude in her busy schedule, time when she could kick back, forget about work, and recharge her batteries, but instead she had to be sharing an island with them.

Yesterday she'd seen him coming in from the beach, dressed in just a swimsuit. He was in his mid thirties for goodness' sake; he should be past the trunks and nothing else stage, it was just showing off. He should put some clothes on like a grown up instead of running around barely dressed and looking damn good, as if he was some stupid teenager. And speaking of stupid teenagers, that brat was still hanging around him. They'd been talking as they walked into the hotel and then he'd grabbed the brat around the neck and messed his hair up.

She took another sip of her drink. That was one of the things that had been the final straw for their relationship. He kept telling her he wanted to go slowly, that he wasn't ready to make a commitment to her, but he was perfectly happy to take in an annoying, troublesome teenager who'd actually tried to rob him. If that wasn't a commitment then what was? She'd tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen to sense and the day he'd signed the adoption papers was the day she'd finally broken up with him.

She hadn't got rid of Rex only to end up responsible for someone else's child. By now she'd expected the brat to be in jail; he was clearly heading that way at high speed, but no instead of being in prison like any normal person would have expected he was here, in Hawaii, ruining her holiday.

She'd asked the receptionist about them once they were safely out of sight and found out that they were here for a wedding. He was marrying that mouthy night manager of his. She couldn't understand why he kept him around while they'd been dating. Sure he'd taken the kid in when he was younger, a pattern she should have recognised when he started worrying about the little juvenile delinquent. So he'd taken him in and brought him up and he felt responsible for him but he'd stolen an entire day's takings and gambled them away in Atlantic City. If anyone had done that to her, she'd have had them arrested, but she'd gone along with him and even volunteered some money to help them out. She didn't want the idiot to be responsible for losing the store. If the store had been sold, then he would have been out of a job and he wouldn't have been able to take her out to places like she deserved.

Draining her drink, she signalled to the bar tender to get her another one. Careful asking around, just so she could be sure to avoid them, it wasn't like she was actually interested, had revealed that they were getting married under an awning on the beach. Apparently they were all going to be wearing swimsuits. Such a stupid idea and so typical of his little group of misfits. They probably thought it was cute. She wasn't upset; well, not exactly. It had been nearly five years and she was totally over him now; he was just one of many men in her past who had turned out to be a total waste of her time. But it niggled at her. He hadn't been ready to make a commitment to her, according to him. His past meant she needed to be patient, he'd said. But apparently he could make a commitment to the juvenile delinquent and now he was making another one to the smart ass.

Well, she hoped they'd be very happy together. They deserved each other. He could have been so much more though, if he'd just stopped being an idiot and taken their relationship more seriously. He could have owned a chain of record stores by now if she'd been behind him, encouraging him. Instead he was settling for one independent store, staffed by a group of dysfunctional misfits and he was getting married to another of them. Not to mention adopting the delinquent. She was well shot of him. She couldn't stand the idea of being tied down like that. If she ever lost her mind and decided she wanted to be saddled with a child, she'd have one herself, one who would be pretty and smart and well behaved.

She knocked her last drink back and stood up. The wedding would be over by now and they'd be at the reception. She hoped he enjoyed it and the mess he'd got himself into. It wouldn't last anyway; no one could put up with a son and a husband who can't keep their mouths shut around for too long and then he could look at her and her successful career and realise what an idiot he was. She smiled a little at that. He wasn't the greatest catch anyway and now the wedding was over. hopefully they'd all be going home and she could get back to enjoying her holiday. Yes, that was what she was going to do. She was going to go and lie by the pool and enjoy the sun and forget all about him and his band of misfits. Congratulations, Joe, enjoy the rest of your life.


End file.
